Post by Therdde on Feb 22, 2011 21:44:29 GMT -5
Characters:
Nyssa - Female Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Wooded Terrain -
Having told her daughter to seek out her grandmother, Nyssa turns her paws silently in the opposite direction and began to walk, leaving her little son tucked away, hidden and sleeping peacefully. She had no real destination in mind but was more content to feel her muscles flexing and expanding, a dance of power and grace that she felt all around her. Nyssa did not go far before she stopped, the fall leaves floating by on a passing breeze that gave her paws pause and for a moment she stood there with her eyes to the tree tops, ears canted forward, hungry and expectant. Then she settles on her haunches, grooming one fore paw absently before her eyes drift shut and she exhales and allows the air from her lungs to be carried away with the leaves. There is something else here in the woods with her now, something distant and far away but all too familiar. A smile begins to form across her light hued muzzle. "I missed you," she murmurs, though her conversational companion is almost so quiet that she may as well be talking to a creature thousands of miles away.
It's true, remaining here for the past several months when he had been so very eager to raise his new cubs well away from here has been trying on the still-Chieftain. But he has managed. What he has managed, of course, is another story entirely. He has never been inherently social. Most of his species, especially the males of his species, aren't. Recently, though, he has almost actively avoided every member of Amaranth, save for Nyssa and his two young cubs, and he has been even faster to run off intruders. Now, after a long day of hunting as the weather grows colder, he returns with a young boar, probably no older than his own children. He has yet to take either of them hunting, since his attempt with Arroyo did not go so well, but they grow ever larger, and their stomachs harder to fill. It will have to be soon.
Nyssa's head dips only slightly, as if her companion whispered something to her, and it caused her smile to bloom further. Shy and confident at the same time, her eyes flutter open and before she even hears his paw steps on the forest floor, she calls out, "Kein." She waits and then hears his approach, only slightly laden. Their cubs will grow to hunt in time and even though they are still on these lands, and their daughter still and will always bear that crimson mark, Nyssa is content. "Leave your hunt a moment." There is an unasked question in that statement and only after it is utters does the female stand and turn toward where she expects the Chieftain to approach from.
Kein does not hesitate before dropping his young kill to the ground as he continues to approach Nyssa. Nor does he hesitate in nuzzling against her, once he is closer. He does not speak, though. He has never been a very vocal animal, and that much has not changed, even for the hours and hours he has spent talking to his cubs.
Nyssa welcomes Kein's approach, pressing the crown of her head against him and smiling at the brush of their cheeks against one another; it certainly hasn't been long since they've seen one another, or spoken, but the contact is a feeling altogether blissful and one that she does not want to give up. It is some time before words find her again, though she does little o break their touch. The smaller female rests her muzzle against Kein's neck, remembering that scent, as she smiles and says something so utterly simple as to be confounding. "Thank you."
Indeed, Kein has no idea why he is being thanked. Not that there aren't things that she could potentially be thanking him for, he supposes, but he does not often expect verbalized gratitude, and for it to come out of no where, like this... It is only a couple moments before he asks, "What for, Nyssa?" As and after he speaks, he stands pressed against her, enjoying the rare relaxed moment together.
Before she answers, Nyssa takes the time to groom the Chieftain's neck in a calm, almost lazy manner, and not in the meticulous, motherly fashion she has adopted for her cubs. Kein's question prompts from her a soft laugh like the sound of spring rain on new leaves, and her grooming moves to his cheek for only a moment before she smiles at him. "Many things. But above all else, for being you." Nyssa noses underneath his chin and then lifts herself to her full sitting height, though her eyes are still slightly below the Chieftain's. "You're stronger than you believe you are. I admire you, Chieftain."
Kein has never lied to himself about enjoying the admiration of his family, and he doesn't do so now, by being falsely humble or any other method. Rather, he is silent for a moment, after which he returns her gentle nosing, though he directs her at his cheek. "You know I would do anything for you, don't you?" And so of course it pleases him that the things he does do are pleasing to her. Why shouldn't it be?
"You would do anything when you've already done everything and more." Nyssa's eyes close at Kein's return touch, and her smile develops further and she nods. Yes, she knows that. There is a moment more of thought from the female and then, "I thought you might like to know," she begins, a bit haltingly, like a child confessing a great secret, "That I can hear the wind once more." Her emphasis on /hear/ indicates she is speaking of her Guide though the word remains unsaid. "It is still far away but I feel as though it is returning after a journey only it could take alone. I have no way of knowing this but I feel that when it returns then my paws, and yours, will again follow it." How long until that day is unknowable any more than what tomorrow will bring to them but it is warming to her heart nonetheless. "Still, Chieftain, you and I have a beautiful daughter and a handsome young son to teach." It will be some time.
It's funny. Kein has spent much of the last year, and perhaps longer, wanting to be far away from Amaranth. Suddenly, though, as Nyssa predicts their departure, some day off in the future, the thought causes him a sudden heartache, not because he wants to be here any more than he has for ages, but because he suddenly realizes for the first time since she was born, that when he does leave... he really will be leaving his daughter behind. All of his daughters, he supposes, but somehow the thought hurts him more, with the youngest one. It may well be the wake up call he needed, since he has spent the first six months of his youngest cubs' lives loathing the time he must still spend here, all without thinking about how it will be the last time he spends with any of his children. Leave it to him to be so dense. After a moment of silence spent dealing with that sudden heartache, he says, "I will look forward to the day when I will only have to get through saying goodbye one more time." It is the best way he can express how he is feeling.
At first Nyssa doesn't respond with anything besides a very subtle purr, smoothing away the wrinkles in Kein's brow by continuing to groom his fur with purposeful and deliberate swipes of her tongue. "There is no such thing as goodbye," she offers, "for as long as you own your mind and body you will always be with those that you love." But now is not the time to be thinking about goodbyes. It is the last thing on her mind, in fact, and to emphasize that silent though she leans against the male with her shoulder, resting her head deep in the crook of his neck and allows herself time enough to lose herself within him. "Thank you," she reiterates, the sound sighing across his fur.
Kein closes his eyes as she goes about grooming him once more, using the time that she talks to take some slow, deep breaths. A short moment after she finishes speaking, he says, "You're welcome, Nyssa. Of course you're welcome." Even after speaking, he keeps his eyes closed to just rest against her.
Nyssa continues her self appointed task for a few moments longer and then sits back just a little to look at the older male. She dips her head just a little bit, looking up at him with her bright eyes and that soft curve to her muzzle before prodding gently, "Smile, Chieftain. You are not the creature who's job it is to hold up the sky. You can relax every now and again."
"Only if you promise to hold it up for me while I relax." It is just a small step forward, true, but it is also the first time Kein has ever admitted that, just maybe, he is too serious. Just maybe he is too old. And just maybe, not everything will fall apart if he lets his guard down for one moment. At least, the first time since Nayeli was attacked my those two males. He even manages a smile of his own, and to nip lightly at the fur of her neck.
"Well, if I must," Nyssa responds, tipping her chin up and doing her best to look her regal best, "but only for you, of course." And then she is laughing, her ears tipping forward on her head at Kein's gentle play, to which she replies with a nudge to his chest with her nose and a swipe of her tongue under his chin. Ah -- even the Chieftain remembers how to be carefree -- if only for a fleeting moment.
Carefree? Maybe not. Light-hearted, though... Yes, for at least a moment, he is light-hearted. "Come with me, Nyssa. While you are carrying that weight for me, let me show you what Amaranth used to be. What our daughter will inherit." For one day, at least, he will not let years of trials colour his vision of the land that, as a young child, he loved. The land that his mother loved. He will tell stories that do not have anything to do with death or treachery. Of cubs who raced through the forest, and taught each other to climb trees and track prey, and of a boy who thought the ground could feel pain, that the wind was alive, and that no animal ever spoke anything but the truth.
"Teach me," Nyssa replies warmly, pushing to her paws and leaning against Kein's shoulder to gently urge his paws to begin their journey. "And don't worry. It is not as heavy as you make it out to be." There the female smiles and feels a warmth in her heart begins to spread out into Amaranth around them and that familiar tug at her ears returning, subtle but certainly there.
Nyssa - Female Cougar
Kein - Male Cougar
- Wooded Terrain -
Having told her daughter to seek out her grandmother, Nyssa turns her paws silently in the opposite direction and began to walk, leaving her little son tucked away, hidden and sleeping peacefully. She had no real destination in mind but was more content to feel her muscles flexing and expanding, a dance of power and grace that she felt all around her. Nyssa did not go far before she stopped, the fall leaves floating by on a passing breeze that gave her paws pause and for a moment she stood there with her eyes to the tree tops, ears canted forward, hungry and expectant. Then she settles on her haunches, grooming one fore paw absently before her eyes drift shut and she exhales and allows the air from her lungs to be carried away with the leaves. There is something else here in the woods with her now, something distant and far away but all too familiar. A smile begins to form across her light hued muzzle. "I missed you," she murmurs, though her conversational companion is almost so quiet that she may as well be talking to a creature thousands of miles away.
It's true, remaining here for the past several months when he had been so very eager to raise his new cubs well away from here has been trying on the still-Chieftain. But he has managed. What he has managed, of course, is another story entirely. He has never been inherently social. Most of his species, especially the males of his species, aren't. Recently, though, he has almost actively avoided every member of Amaranth, save for Nyssa and his two young cubs, and he has been even faster to run off intruders. Now, after a long day of hunting as the weather grows colder, he returns with a young boar, probably no older than his own children. He has yet to take either of them hunting, since his attempt with Arroyo did not go so well, but they grow ever larger, and their stomachs harder to fill. It will have to be soon.
Nyssa's head dips only slightly, as if her companion whispered something to her, and it caused her smile to bloom further. Shy and confident at the same time, her eyes flutter open and before she even hears his paw steps on the forest floor, she calls out, "Kein." She waits and then hears his approach, only slightly laden. Their cubs will grow to hunt in time and even though they are still on these lands, and their daughter still and will always bear that crimson mark, Nyssa is content. "Leave your hunt a moment." There is an unasked question in that statement and only after it is utters does the female stand and turn toward where she expects the Chieftain to approach from.
Kein does not hesitate before dropping his young kill to the ground as he continues to approach Nyssa. Nor does he hesitate in nuzzling against her, once he is closer. He does not speak, though. He has never been a very vocal animal, and that much has not changed, even for the hours and hours he has spent talking to his cubs.
Nyssa welcomes Kein's approach, pressing the crown of her head against him and smiling at the brush of their cheeks against one another; it certainly hasn't been long since they've seen one another, or spoken, but the contact is a feeling altogether blissful and one that she does not want to give up. It is some time before words find her again, though she does little o break their touch. The smaller female rests her muzzle against Kein's neck, remembering that scent, as she smiles and says something so utterly simple as to be confounding. "Thank you."
Indeed, Kein has no idea why he is being thanked. Not that there aren't things that she could potentially be thanking him for, he supposes, but he does not often expect verbalized gratitude, and for it to come out of no where, like this... It is only a couple moments before he asks, "What for, Nyssa?" As and after he speaks, he stands pressed against her, enjoying the rare relaxed moment together.
Before she answers, Nyssa takes the time to groom the Chieftain's neck in a calm, almost lazy manner, and not in the meticulous, motherly fashion she has adopted for her cubs. Kein's question prompts from her a soft laugh like the sound of spring rain on new leaves, and her grooming moves to his cheek for only a moment before she smiles at him. "Many things. But above all else, for being you." Nyssa noses underneath his chin and then lifts herself to her full sitting height, though her eyes are still slightly below the Chieftain's. "You're stronger than you believe you are. I admire you, Chieftain."
Kein has never lied to himself about enjoying the admiration of his family, and he doesn't do so now, by being falsely humble or any other method. Rather, he is silent for a moment, after which he returns her gentle nosing, though he directs her at his cheek. "You know I would do anything for you, don't you?" And so of course it pleases him that the things he does do are pleasing to her. Why shouldn't it be?
"You would do anything when you've already done everything and more." Nyssa's eyes close at Kein's return touch, and her smile develops further and she nods. Yes, she knows that. There is a moment more of thought from the female and then, "I thought you might like to know," she begins, a bit haltingly, like a child confessing a great secret, "That I can hear the wind once more." Her emphasis on /hear/ indicates she is speaking of her Guide though the word remains unsaid. "It is still far away but I feel as though it is returning after a journey only it could take alone. I have no way of knowing this but I feel that when it returns then my paws, and yours, will again follow it." How long until that day is unknowable any more than what tomorrow will bring to them but it is warming to her heart nonetheless. "Still, Chieftain, you and I have a beautiful daughter and a handsome young son to teach." It will be some time.
It's funny. Kein has spent much of the last year, and perhaps longer, wanting to be far away from Amaranth. Suddenly, though, as Nyssa predicts their departure, some day off in the future, the thought causes him a sudden heartache, not because he wants to be here any more than he has for ages, but because he suddenly realizes for the first time since she was born, that when he does leave... he really will be leaving his daughter behind. All of his daughters, he supposes, but somehow the thought hurts him more, with the youngest one. It may well be the wake up call he needed, since he has spent the first six months of his youngest cubs' lives loathing the time he must still spend here, all without thinking about how it will be the last time he spends with any of his children. Leave it to him to be so dense. After a moment of silence spent dealing with that sudden heartache, he says, "I will look forward to the day when I will only have to get through saying goodbye one more time." It is the best way he can express how he is feeling.
At first Nyssa doesn't respond with anything besides a very subtle purr, smoothing away the wrinkles in Kein's brow by continuing to groom his fur with purposeful and deliberate swipes of her tongue. "There is no such thing as goodbye," she offers, "for as long as you own your mind and body you will always be with those that you love." But now is not the time to be thinking about goodbyes. It is the last thing on her mind, in fact, and to emphasize that silent though she leans against the male with her shoulder, resting her head deep in the crook of his neck and allows herself time enough to lose herself within him. "Thank you," she reiterates, the sound sighing across his fur.
Kein closes his eyes as she goes about grooming him once more, using the time that she talks to take some slow, deep breaths. A short moment after she finishes speaking, he says, "You're welcome, Nyssa. Of course you're welcome." Even after speaking, he keeps his eyes closed to just rest against her.
Nyssa continues her self appointed task for a few moments longer and then sits back just a little to look at the older male. She dips her head just a little bit, looking up at him with her bright eyes and that soft curve to her muzzle before prodding gently, "Smile, Chieftain. You are not the creature who's job it is to hold up the sky. You can relax every now and again."
"Only if you promise to hold it up for me while I relax." It is just a small step forward, true, but it is also the first time Kein has ever admitted that, just maybe, he is too serious. Just maybe he is too old. And just maybe, not everything will fall apart if he lets his guard down for one moment. At least, the first time since Nayeli was attacked my those two males. He even manages a smile of his own, and to nip lightly at the fur of her neck.
"Well, if I must," Nyssa responds, tipping her chin up and doing her best to look her regal best, "but only for you, of course." And then she is laughing, her ears tipping forward on her head at Kein's gentle play, to which she replies with a nudge to his chest with her nose and a swipe of her tongue under his chin. Ah -- even the Chieftain remembers how to be carefree -- if only for a fleeting moment.
Carefree? Maybe not. Light-hearted, though... Yes, for at least a moment, he is light-hearted. "Come with me, Nyssa. While you are carrying that weight for me, let me show you what Amaranth used to be. What our daughter will inherit." For one day, at least, he will not let years of trials colour his vision of the land that, as a young child, he loved. The land that his mother loved. He will tell stories that do not have anything to do with death or treachery. Of cubs who raced through the forest, and taught each other to climb trees and track prey, and of a boy who thought the ground could feel pain, that the wind was alive, and that no animal ever spoke anything but the truth.
"Teach me," Nyssa replies warmly, pushing to her paws and leaning against Kein's shoulder to gently urge his paws to begin their journey. "And don't worry. It is not as heavy as you make it out to be." There the female smiles and feels a warmth in her heart begins to spread out into Amaranth around them and that familiar tug at her ears returning, subtle but certainly there.